A study published in Brain, led by researchers
at UCL Institute of Neurology, has shown that genetic mutations which
cause a decrease in dopamine
production in the brain and lead to a form of childhood-onset Dystonia,
also play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. More...

Research led by consortium researchers Dr Helene Plun-Favreau (UCL Institute of Neurology) and Dr Alex Whitworth (University of Sheffield), and collaborator Dr Heike Laman (University of Cambridge), has discovered how genetic
mutations linked to Parkinson’s disease might play a key role in the death of
brain cells, potentially paving the way for the development of more effective
drug treatments. In the new study, published in Nature Neuroscience, the team
of
cross-institutional researchers showed how defects in the Parkinson’s gene
Fbxo7 cause problems with mitophagy. More...

Video: Parkinson's and the Genetic Revolution: From Genes to Treatments

17 June 2013

Dr Patrick Lewis of
University College London and Dr Flaviano Giorgini of the University of
Leicester, discuss how their work on genetics is helping us develop treatments for Parkinson's.

The last ten years have seen a
revolution in our understanding of genetics, demonstrated by the truly
monumental sequencing of the human genome. This has, in turn, had a
massive impact on the way in which we approach the research of human
conditions -- including Parkinson's.

We now know that there are
many genes that are linked to Parkinson's, and much of the research into
this condition over the past decade has attempted to bridge the gap
between identifying these genes and figuring out why they cause nerve
cells to die.